


Stay With Me

by MacNCheese3



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Abusive Parents, Gen, Light Angst, Pennywise never existed, Rated T for Trashmouth, Richie Tozier-centric, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-04
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-01-29 09:02:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12627570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacNCheese3/pseuds/MacNCheese3
Summary: The losers said Richie could always stay with them when things get tense.So he does.





	1. Eddie Spaghetti

Since the pact, Richie has been welcomed to stay with any of the losers when he needs to.

Of course, he was sure he already  _was_. But verbal conformation felt nice.

The first night after the pact, his dad actually comes home.

The first night after pact he hears the yelling, and the glass breaking.

The first night after the pact he plays it safe, he sneaks out of the house, and he goes to Eddie.

Eddie Kaspbrak, or Edward technically. Richie would find that funny if he wasn't biking down the street at what felt like 80 miles per hour.

Eddie Kaspbrak, who somehow felt his best friend coming and was already looking out the window, looking like he was waiting.

Eddie Kaspbrak, who unlocks and opens his window the  _second_ Richie is in sight.

And Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak's lifelong friend, practically throws himself into Eddie's window and his best friend's arms.

Richie's blubbering while the pajama wearing boy checks for bruises, he doesn't find any new ones however.

Eddie guides him down into the bed, and calms Richie down after awhile.

"Rich? Do you want pajamas from the Richie corner?"

Richie almost laughs, how out of context that sentence sounds so happy. But he doesn't laugh, because this isn't out of context, and this is his life. Instead he shakes his head, "Unless you don't want me dirtying up your floor."

"Richard Tozier, how many times have we been through this process?" Eddie's voice comes off as a fake stern tone. It almost sounds like an actual parent and Richie sighs happily, "I don't know, it all comes down to how many days a week your mom calls me up."

Eddie laughs sarcastically, then cuddles Richie close, "Too many times is how many times we've been through this. Everytime you sleep, where?"

"In the bed, with you." Richie looks over at his best friend and Eddie smiles, "Yes, you do. Because I'm never gonna let you sleep on the floor. You're not an animal. Even if you were I wouldn't let you sleep on the floor."

Richie shrugs, "I'm definitely an animal in bed, who told you? Your mom?"

Eddie playfully punches Richie, "Go to bed,  _Richard_."

Richie smiles, "Okay,  _Edward_."

Silence rolls off the two for awhile, but they aren't asleep.

"Eds?"

"Don't call me that, what?"

"I mean, this is gonna be an odd request but... Can I hold your hand? Th-The one with the scar on it..." Richie trails off, embarrassed.

Eddie doesn't skip a beat, he gently takes Richie's scarred hand into his own.

They fall asleep like that, side by side, hand in hand. Intertwined fingers and all.

Edward Kaspbrak is the longest and bestest friend Richard Tozier has, and Richie knows he doesn't deserve him.

 


	2. Stan the Man (Bird boy)

Richie's bestest friend is out of town, visiting some aunts and uncles. So when Richie hears the familiar crash of a bottle, he starts to panic.

He knows he should just sleep in a camping ground. He should just sneak into one, and stay till morning. Bear maiming isn't as bad as what would happen if he got in the middle of this, probably.

So he sneaks out again, before it gets too heated.

He bikes down to the camp ground, because it's only been a week and he still should give it time to bother the rest of the losers.

But on his way he passes by Stan's house. Stanley Uris, the one out of his friend group who would drop him the fastest.

Richie thinks, actually,  _knows_ this is a bad idea. Even though he hasn't even started climbing the fence into their garden.

He chuckles under his breath, "Here goes absolutely fucking nothing."

So now he's in the Uris' garden, and he doesn't know how to alert Stan he's here. Besides, there's a park bench right here, why not just sleep on it? He'll wake up before the Uris' get up and act like everything will be fine.

Even though it's freezing and he's sure his teeth chattering will wake Stan up before his alarm clock does.

He's trying to be quiet, really he is. He doesn't wanna wake up Stan because the boy needs his rest after seeing Beverly's dad confront her like that.

But he's just so cold and sad, and now he's crying because he wishes he would just chuck a rock at his friend's window for fucks sake.

Next thing he knows a pajama clad Stanley Uris is shaking him awake with a very concerned look on his face.

"You're gonna freeze and die if you fall asleep, it's the middle of November!" His friend is whisper yelling at him and all Richie can muster out is a weak sorry.

 _That's_ when Stan clicks everything together. Eddie's out of town and he has a sad looking Richie, which means it's his turn to take care of his friend. But it's not like he has a parenting book: Richie edition laying around in his house!

"Don't be sorry, Rich. Just, let's get you warmed up, okay?"

Stan somehow sneaks Richie into his home, even though his stairs creak like they're made of 200 year old whale scrotum.

Stan doesn't sit down until Richie is in a giant mess of blankets on Stan's bed, with a glass of warm milk in his hand.

Stan looks worried, very worried. Richie can see his eyes ghosting over his face and visible body, looking for bruises.

Stan doesn't find any, so he looks into his friend's eyes, "What happened?"

Richie shrugs, "I get out of there before things get heated. I just heard a bottle break, some incoherent yelling. Could've just been my mom breaking something and me running here for no reason." Richie chuckles, like that's a joke.

Stan's eyebrows furrow in a seriousness that looks like will give him an aneurysm, "Richie I know I act like you piss me off, but you can come to me for anything. Even  _if_ it's just your mom breaking something."

Richie smiles, a genuine smile, and leans in to hug his other best friend.

"Thank you, bird boy."

"No problem, trashmouth. Now chop chop, we're going to bed. We both have math tests in the morning."

After groaning and complaining Richie calms down. They lay there, content for the moment.

Richie gets his scarred hand as close to Stan's as he can without making it awkward.

Stan, being as smart as he is, just grabs Richie's hand. Like it's not even a question, of course Richie can hold his hand.

Richie doesn't deserve Stan either.


	3. Silly Billy

Richie comes home with Bill after school, says they can study and hang out and that he'll leave after dinner. Bill informs his mom and then they do just that, they study. Or at least Bill does.

Richie stays unrealistically quiet, and Bill naturally starts worrying.

"D-Do you miss Bev?"

Richie looks up from the floor to his friend and smiles softly, "Not as much as I bet she misses me. But yeah, I miss her." Richie trails back off into his own thoughts and Bill decides he has to get him out. There's something wrong with Richie.

Just as Bill starts suggesting an idea, his mother calls up to them that dinner's ready. They're also told to wash up, so Bill walks to the bathroom. Richie seemingly waddles behind him, almost like he's on autopilot.

As they're washing their hands, Richie speaks up, "My dad, he came home while I was in school. I don't think a fight broke out. Which means I did something wrong."

Bill sighs, "P-Please stay he-here."

Richie mocks his sigh, "Trust me I want to. But if I get it over with then it'll just be a new bruise. Bruises heal."

Bill looks Richie straight in the eyes, "Scars don't. Death doesn't. Seriously Richie, what if one day they beat you to death by accident? How am I gonna cope with that? How are any of us?"

Richie tears up, "You can walk me home. Then hey, if they do beat me to death, we can reminisce like old men and you can know it's not your fault. It's my choice to go there, Bill. Not even your worried, non-stuttered, words can keep me here."

"Why? W-Why do you keep going back?" Bill takes in his best friend, and no amount of growth spurts can ever keep him from looking like a fragile baby in Bill's eyes.

"Maybe deep down I hope that one day they wake up, and they don't hate me or each other. Or themselves. They don't drink, or sniff coke, or shoot up heroine, whatever it is she does.

And my dad doesn't go get girls drunk and fuck their brains out, all while making a bunch of dentist money and never using it for me or her.

My bruises will fade, and Beverly will come back feeling okay and happy for once in her life. And we'll all stay together forever. No matter what."

Richie wipes his tears, "Your dinner's probably getting cold, c'mon." Richie takes Bill's warm hand in his cold one, and they walk downstairs together.

Throughout dinner Bill stares at Richie. He's never wanted to whisk him away from the pain that is his life more. Of course Bill has always been protective of the boy, he's already an older brother! But it feels different, it almost feels motherly.

After dinner Richie puts on his coat and his backpack, and holds out his hand for Bill, "C'mon, be a gentleman. You got me dinner now walk me home." Richie bats his eyelashes and chuckles, just a little bit.

Bill takes his hand, "I-If I get a bad fe-feeling, I'm getting you out of th-th-there."

The walk is silent for awhile, Bill speaks up first surprisingly, "We already will be together forever."

Richie looks at Bill, "What?"

Bill smiles, "You heard me. N-None of us are leaving you, or each oth-ther. Never ever."

"I don't deserve you, any of you." Richie widens his eyes and almost snaps his neck to looks at his feet, because he's thought that countless times but never voiced it.

Bill smiles, "You d-deserve all of us. We love y-you, Rich. Never fo-forget that.

"I love you guys to- Oh no." Richie halts and Bill is forced to with him. 

Richie's parents are out in the lawn, waiting for Richie. Bill takes a glance between them and Richie, and he makes a run for it.

He practically  _drags_ Richie along the road and Richie is yelling while he's being towed behind him.

Bill doesn't stop until he has Richie back in his room safe, his parents may be yelling at him and the Tozier's may be knocking on his front door but he doesn't care.

Richie pants, "Bill you idiot! They already saw me, they're banging on your door!"

Bill pants along, "I d-don't ca-care. Richie s-s-so help me God, they're not getting their hands on you ever ag-gain."

Richie's dad opens the door, "While that's quite sentimental, we need to speak to our son.  _Alone_."

Richie goes willingly, and Bill wants to put up a fight so fucking bad. Richie of all people doesn't deserve what he's going to get. And it's only until Bill is trying to sleep that he realizes he probably made it worse.

Bill sneaks out half past two. He runs to Richie's house in his slippers, and while he's looking for a pebble to throw at his window he gets whisper yelled out.

"Bill go home! It's fine, I swear!"

Bill shakes his head and Richie groans. A few minutes later he's outside in front of Bill, "Listen, they roughed me up a bit, I'm fine. Please go home, go  _sleep_."

Bill ghosts his fingers over the cut on Richie's lip, "Secret sleepover t-time, oka-ay?

Richie sighs, "I was gonna come to you, not get dragged to a secret sleepover. I mean what, are you jealous of your mom, Denbrough?"

Richie makes obscene jokes until he's in Bill's room, "I'll take the floo-" "Don't try it. Eddie told me ab-bout your antics. Bed. N-Now."

Richie laughs, "Never knew you wanted me in your bed so bad, Billy. I guess I'll have to oblige."

"Y-You do, or I'll t-tie you to my bed."

"Kinky, I like it~"

Bill rolls his eyes at Richie's sing-songy voice. So many voices with this one.

There's no question or hesitation with holding hands.

Richie loves mother bear Bill with all of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's longer!! WHOOPS ICDJJD  
> I didn't know how i wanted to do this chapter, i hope it isnt too ooc!!


End file.
